Nail coating blank and method of making same



' Sept. 7, 1954 a. BOGOSLOWSKY 2,688,331 NAIL comma BLANK AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 3. 1949 INVENTOR ,Bora's Bayes Zowsky BY j I! Y r r M, M v

Patented Sept. 7, 1954 NAIL COATING BLANK AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Boris Bogoslowsky, Jackson Heights, N. Y. Elizabeth Bogoslowsky, executrix of said Boris Bogoslowsky, deceased Application August 3, 1949, Serial No. 108,267

6 Claims.

This invention relates to. the coating of human fingernails and toenails and more particularly to a novel nail coating blank and dispensing assembly therefor as well as to a method of making the dispensing assembly. This application is a continuation-in-part. of my prior application, Serial No. 37,355, filed July '7, 1948.

The conventional method of coating human nails involves applying thereto a lacquer comprising a dispersion of a pigment and suitable resin in a volatile solvent, and permitting the solvent to evaporate to leave a lustrous coating on the nail. This conventional method, although widely used, is subject to a number of disadvantages. The lacquer is normally applied with a small brush and considerable care is required to make'sure that the lacquer is applied to all parts of the nail and only to the nail. Thus the application of a lacquer requires an excessive amount of time. Also time is required to permit the solvent of the lacquer to evaporate and during this drying period the user must be careful to avoid bringing the coated nail in contact with an object that would cause the coating to be smeared.

A further objection to the lacquer coating is that it is somewhat brittle and tends to chip and break off, thereby spoiling the desired decorative effect and presenting an untidy appearance. Also since the lacquer contains a volatile solvent its consistency varies over a period of time and hence it is. difficult to maintain the proper consistency for application to the nails. Moreover, the lacquers commonly used are only moderately resistant to the action of detergents and tend to wash off in a relatively short period of time. In many cases the lacquer washes off irregularly to produce exposed portions of the nail that present an unsightly appearance.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved nail coating that may be easily and conveniently applied to a human fingernail. It is a further object of the invention to provide a nail coating of this type that is highly resistant to the action of the commonly used detergents. It is still another object of the invention to provide a nail coating which will not crack, chip or flake off and will retain its lustrous appearance for an indefinite period of time. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a nail coating that is applied in solid form in the absence of a solvent and hence cannot. smear and does not require a period of time for solvent evaporation. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a nail coating which is. superior in appearance and gloss and more evenly distributed over the nail than coatings heretofore used. It is still another object of the invention to provide a nail coating, the exposed surface of which can carry a picture, design or the like. It is still another object of the invention to provide a convenient dispensing assembly for such a nail coating blank. It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel method of making such a nail coating assembly that is adapted to be used in the mass production of such assemblies. Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereafter.

The many objects and advantages of the present invention may be best understood and appreciated by reference to the accompanying drawing which discloses a nail-coating blank and dispensing assembly therefor as well as illustrating the method of making the dispensing assembly.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a nail-coating blank;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section through the blank taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a finger with the blank of Figure 1 applied to the nail thereof;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the manner in which the portion of the blank that overhangs the end of fingernail may be removed;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a dispensing assembly for the blank of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating the manner in which the nail-coating blank is removed from its support for application to a fingernail;

Figure 7- is a section through the assembly of Figure 5, taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5 and showing the way in which the nail coating blank is affixed to its support;

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating a step in the making of the assembly of Figure 5 and showing the manner in which the nail-coating strip and supporting strip are assembled;

Figure 9 is a perspective view similar to Figure 8, indicating the manner in which the assemblies are cut from the nail-coating and supporting strips.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the nail coating blank I0 comprises a thin flexible piece of a water-resistant material such as the plastic film H which has a layer I2 of a suitable pressuresensitive adhesive on one surface thereof. As shown in Figure l, the blank I0 has the substantially parallel side edges I4 and I5 and a curved end l8 that is curved to conform with the curvature of the cuticle or base of a human nail. As

shown in Figures 1 and 2, a portion of the end ll of the blank is left uncoated by adhesive to form a flap by means of which the blank may be manually grasped without grasping the adhesive l2. The flap I! facilitates removal of the blank from its support as described below and also facilitates handling of the blank as it is being applied to the nail.

Referring to Figure 3, the blank 10 is applied to the fingernail by placing the curved end 18 adjacent to the cuticle or base of the fingernail with the pressure-sensitive adhesive I2 adjacent to the fingernail and exerting a light pressure on the plastic blank to cause it to adhere to the fingernail. The length of the blank is such that a portion 20 thereof, including the flap l1, overhangs the end of the fingernail. As shown in Figure 4, the overhanging portion 20 of the blank may be readily removed by bending it downwardly over the end of the nail and drawing the file 22 across that portion of the blank which bends over the end of the nail. The filing of the end of the fingernail completely detaches the overhanging portion 20 of the blank and the remainder of the blank is thus precisely fitted to the fingernail and firmly secured thereto.

The properties of the film used in forming the blank H) are important since they largely determine the characteristics of the coating when the blank is applied to a nail. Thus the film II is preferably formed of a plastic as described, but may also be made of a metal foil of a suitable metal such as copper, aluminum and the like. The film is preferably made quite thin, say of the order of 0.0005 inches to 0.003 inches. It is also desirable where a plastic is used that the plastic be strong and tough as well as highly resistant to the action of water and alkalis. I have found that the blanks made from a film of a rubber hydrochloride, such as for example, that sold under the trade name Pliofilm, form particularly satisfactory nail coatings, although thin sheets of other resins such as a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate sold under the trade name Vinylite, the vinyl-vinylidene chloride resin sold under the trade name Oriented Saran and the polyami'de resin sold under the trade name Nylon may also be used. The resin may or may not be plasticized. The plastics specifically mentioned are those that have been found to combine in large measure the desirable properties for this application, and it is apparent that many other plastics which are capable of forming lustrous films but may be inferior to the above-mentioned plastics in other respects could also be formed into blanks such as those described herein. Also, as indicated, metal foils may be used.

The film l I may be either pigmented or clear as described and if pigmented may be of any desired color. Moreover, the exposed surface of the plastic may have printed or otherwise applied thereto a picture, design or the like.

As previously pointed out, the film II has applied to one surface thereof a pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 which is preferably water-proof and may have any of various compositions known in the art. One satisfactory adhesive for this purpose comprises 10 parts by weight of crepe rubher, 2 parts by weight of cumarone-indene resin, and 0.5 part by weight of zinc oxide. However, this adhesive is given merely as an illustration and other known pressure-sensitive adhesives may be substituted therefor.

Referring now to Figures -7, a convenient dispensing assembly for the blank of Figures 1 and 2 is shown in these figures. The dispensing assembly comprises the blank 10, the adhesive surface of which is afiixed to a support 24 having a configuration similar to that of the blank. The support 24 may be made of a thin piece of a plastic such as polyethylene, or of another material such as glassine paper to which the blank may be made to adhere lightly and from which it is readily removable without removal of the adhesive from the plastic layer of the blank. When the adhesive layer l2 has the illustrative composition described above, it has been found that the support 24 may be desirably made of polyethylene.

As shown in Figures 5-7, the support 24 extends beyond the ilap ll of the blank II] to form a fiap 26. When it is desired to apply the nail coating blank to a fingernail or toenail the flap 26 of the support 24 and the flap H of the blank ID are manually grasped and the blank pulled from its support. Thus, the flaps l1 and 26 c0- operate to facilitate separation of the blank from its support.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a novel and useful method of making the nail-coating assembly of Figures 5-7. Referring to Figure 8, a relatively long strip of ribbon 30 of the nail-coating material is coated on one surface with adhesive except for the longitudinal marginal portion 32 of the strip. The adhesive side of the nail-coating strip 30 is then applied to a similar but somewhat wider strip or ribbon 34 of the supporting material in such manner that longitudinal marginal portion 36 of the supporting strip 34 extends laterally beyond the edge of marginal portion 32 of coating strip 30. The nail-coating and supporting strips 30 and 34 are assembled in the form of a continuous ribbon and the nailcoating assemblies are cut therefrom in any suitable manner such as by punching or shearing. As indicated in Figure 9, the nail coating assemblies are cut in such manner that their axes are perpendicular to the axis of the ribbon 3034 and thus the flaps l1 and 26- are automatically formed from the marginal portions 32 and 36 of the ribbons 30 and 34 respectively as the assemblies are cut. The method illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 provides the important advantage that it is capable of substantially continuous operation, since the adhesive may be applied to the nailcoating ribbon 30 continuously and the ribbon 30 can be affixed to the supporting strip 34 continuously.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the present invention provides an article and method capable of achieving the several objects set forth above. The nail-coating blank described can be applied to a fingernail and shaped thereto in the matter of a very few seconds. The plastic film of which the blank is composed may be readily so selected as to possess a brilliant color and lustrous appearance. Since the preferred plastics for this purpose are both tough and flexible, the coating formed when these plastics are used does not chip, crack or flake off and will stand considerable abrasion without significant alteration of its lustrous appearance. The coating is Very resistant to ordinary washing and will retain its position and unchanged appearance for an indefinite period of time under ordinary wearing conditions. It may be removed, if desired, by being peeled off or by the use of various common organic solvents capable of dissolving the adhesive. For

example, in the case of the specific adhesive mentioned, benzene or carbon tetrachloride may be used to remove the coating.

The nail-coating assembly 24 of Figures 57 provides a convenient device for dispensing the nail-coating blank of the present invention and the flaps IT and 26 permit ready removal of the blank from their support while at the same time preventing adhesive from coming in contact with the fingers of the person removing the blank from the support and applying it to a nail. The method of making the assembly described in connection with Figures 8 and 9 is susceptible of continuous operation and thus provides for the production of the nail-coating assemblies at low unit cost.

Since many embodiments might be made of the present invention and since many changes might be made in the embodiment disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is to be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

l. A nail-coating assembly comprising a support having aflixed thereto a nail-coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes, said blank comprising a thin piece of a synthetic organic plastic having on one surface thereof a pressure-sensitive adhesive by means of which it is aflixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a convexly curved end that is shaped to conform with the curvature of a cuticle of a nail, the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a nai1 with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof, the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank for application to a nail, and a portion of said nail blank near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not affixed to said support to facilitate the removal of said blank from said support.

2. A nail-coating assembly comprising a plastic support in thin sheet form having aflixed thereto a nail-coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes, said blank comprising a thin sheet of a synthetic organic plastic having on one surface thereof a pressure-sensitive adhesive by means of which it is affixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a convexly curved end that is shaped to conform with the curvature of the cuticle of a human nail, the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a nail with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof, the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank from said support for application to a nail, and a portion of said blank near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not affixed to said support to facilitate removal of said blank from said support.

3. A nail coating assembly comprising a plastic support in thin sheet form, having affixed thereto a nail coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes, said blank comprising a thin piece of metal foil hav ing on one surface thereof a pressure-sensitive adhesive by means of which it is afiixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a curved end that is shaped to con form with the curvature of a cuticle of a nail,

the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a human nail with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank for application to a nail and a portion of said blank near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not afiixed to said support to facilitate removal of said blank from said support.

4. A nail-coating assembly comprising a synthetic organic plastic support in thin sheet form, having affixed thereto a nail-coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes said blank comprising a thin piece of water-resistant pigmented synthetic organic plastic having on one surface thereof a pressuresensitive adhesive by means of which it is affixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a convexly curved end that is shaped to conform with the curvature of the cuticle of a nail, the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a human nail with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank for application to a fingernail and a portion of said blank near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not affixed to said support to facilitate removal of said blank from said support, said support having a configuration that conforms with that of the blank except that it extends somewhat beyond the adhesive-free flap of the blank.

5. A nail coating assembly comprising a support having affixed thereto a nail coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes, said blank comprising a thin piece of a flexible waterproof material having on one surface thereof a pressure sensitive adhesive by means of which it is aflixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a convexly curved end that is shaped to conform with the curvature of a cuticle of a nail, the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a nail with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof, the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank for application to a nail and a portion of said nail blank near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not affixed to said support to facilitate the removal of said blank from said support.

6. A nail coating assembly comprising a support having affixed thereto a nail coating blank adapted to be applied to a human nail for decorative purposes, said blank comprising a thin piece of metal foil having on one surface thereof a pressure sensitive adhesive by means of which is affixed to said support, said blank having substantially parallel side edges and a convexly curved end that is shaped to conform with the curvature of a cuticle of a nail, the length of said blank being such that when said blank is positioned on a nail with its curved end adjacent to the cuticle thereof the other end of said blank overhangs the end of said nail, said adhesive being only weakly adherent to said support to permit ready removal of said blank for application to a nail and a portion of said nail blank 4 near said other end thereof being free from adhesive to form a flap that is not afiixed to said support to facilitate removal of said blank from said support.

5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,162,155 Calvin June 13, 1939 10 Number 

